A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday.

The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service.

Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said.

The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at the scene, Levitt said. He tried several times to leave, and finally the ranger "pursued him a little bit and she did deploy her" electric-shock weapon, Levitt said. "That did stop him."

A note in the comments section - "CEQ 10:51 PM on January 30, 2012 eye-witness account reported to Montara Dog: "Yesterday my husband and I walked our two border collies on the cement trail of Ranch Corral de Tierra...we encountered a man in his late forties with his two little dogs...being cited by a park ranger for not having them on a leash. Since we had never seen a park ranger during our 7 years of walking our dogs there, we asked her why she was patrolling the area. She quickly responded that the area was now under GGNRA control. The man she was citing had already leashed his dogs and provided her all his personal information. He asked her if he could go home and she said No. He then asked her to provide him a ticket or tell him why he couldn't leave. The park ranger was very rude and told him he could not leave un! til she heard by from her base but didn't tell him what she needed to hear from them or why he was being detained. After ten minutes the man asked her again to let him know why he could not leave or just cite him but she gave him no answer. My husband even asked her why she was not letting the man go on his way and she told him to stay out of it. Eventually, the man just started walking in our direction so he could go home. This really upset the park ranger and she told him to stop and that he could not leave. Once again the man asked why and just told her to give him a ticket or let him know if he was being arrested. Note that he had already leashed his two small dogs and was puzzled at the fact that he could not leave. Since she did not respond as to why he was being detained nor tell him the type of jurisdiction she had over him, he started to walk away and she told him that she would tase him if he walked another step. The man replied that he had a heart condition and to not taser him as it could be life threatenin! g. He gave her his back to look at me and my husband in disbelief to what was going on and the park ranger fired her taser at him. The poor man fell to floor and you could see that he was in a lot a pain. An elderly man was walking right by the man when he got tasered and luckily the passerby was not hurt. It was completely incredulous to see what was going on over two small dogs that were not leashed. About ten minutes later the sheriff came and hand cuffed the man. He asked us to take his dogs home and tell his wife what just happened. We heard ambulances on their way and believe that instead of going to jail (for doing nothing) was taken to a local hospital.""

I was going to say that this was a “He said, she said” situation. But the account by the eyewitness is totally credible, and damning to the ranger. She should be investigated and, if this holds up, FIRED.

“...and provided her all his personal information.” Did he? Thought he lied to her. I think both parties are wrong here. But ignorance of the law is no excuse. Perhaps a simple sign noting the new leash laws would’ve been useful. And if the sign was posted, just issue the ticket or warning. Dude, if you are detained, don’t try to walk off.

10
posted on 01/31/2012 10:24:56 AM PST
by SgtHooper
(The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.)

One day, one day I believe that this is going to happen to the wrong person at the wrong time and a bunch of people are going to end up dead or badly injured. And you know what? i think that is precisely the reactions that the ‘powers-that-be’ are hoping for.

And we all know what will happen then. Massive overkill on the story by the MSM and ‘new’ Even more restrictive laws will be enacted, and so the process to tyranny and slavery will be accomplished.

17
posted on 01/31/2012 10:36:03 AM PST
by The Working Man
(The mantra for BO's reign...."No Child Left a Dime")

At the end of article ...the path had been an off-leash trail for years until last month when it became part of the national park system.

Example of why we need less government. The man may have been using the trail for years to walk his dogs. As soon as the federal government takes over, they bring more rules, less freedom and he is tased.

No, charged with multiple felonies, tried and imprisoned if found guilty. If the laws that limit The Great Unwashed are to be equally applied to Law Enforcement, we have Kidnapping and Assualt with Intent to cause bodily harm; if the warning of a heart condition is upheld, I see Attempted Murder.

I cannot, under threat of weaponry - detain you for my amusement. I cannot fire a Taser upon you, maliciously, either. This is exactly what she did; so why not make her pay the same price you or I would pay?

Funny thing about doing this - I'm sure that other Law Enforcement Officers would see that they can't be thugs hiding behind a badge - if they decide to engage in thuggry - then they can got to jail like any other thug.

19
posted on 01/31/2012 10:40:50 AM PST
by Hodar
( Who needs laws; when this FEELS so right?)

One day, one day I believe that this is going to happen to the wrong person at the wrong time and a bunch of people are going to end up dead or badly injured. And you know what? i think that is precisely the reactions that the powers-that-be are hoping for.

And we all know what will happen then. Massive overkill on the story by the MSM and new Even more restrictive laws will be enacted, and so the process to tyranny and slavery will be accomplished.

Your post is very prescient. The govt. wants a violent reaction and then their reaction will be oppressive. Will they enjoy the counter-reaction? I doubt it. That's why their gaming the situation is so frightening. The scripted response from the MSM may not fly as well as either the media or the government had hoped.

TS

21
posted on 01/31/2012 10:44:25 AM PST
by The Shrew
(www.wintersoldier.com; www.tstrs.com; The Truth Shall Set You Free!)

How would the eye-witness know if the man had provided false information? Also, the witness doesn’t dispute the fact that the man walked away when being told to stay. If a law enforcement officer tells you to wait, you wait.

The govt. wants a violent reaction and then their reaction will be oppressive. Will they enjoy the counter-reaction? I doubt it. That’s why their gaming the situation is so frightening. The scripted response from the MSM may not fly as well as either the media or the government had hoped.

I hope you are right about the counter-reaction.

It’s an interesting facet about humans and our behavior. As long as the loss we experience is less than value of what we keep then we will complain bitterly and then go no further, (Usually!). But when we feel that there is nothing left to lose then we will turn and fight until only we or our oppressor is still amongst the living. The question here of course is at what point does fighting back overcome the fear of losing everything?

26
posted on 01/31/2012 10:54:28 AM PST
by The Working Man
(The mantra for BO's reign...."No Child Left a Dime")

“The ranger, who wasn’t identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at the scene, Levitt said. He tried several times to leave, and finally the ranger “pursued him a little bit and she did deploy her” electric-shock weapon, Levitt said. “That did stop him.”

—snip—

The ranger was trying to educate residents of the rule, Levitt said.”

Education by cattle prod always works for me!!! Comply or fry (or die in some 400+ cases).

32
posted on 01/31/2012 11:02:44 AM PST
by Jack Hydrazine
(It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)

First off, NPS rangers aren't rent-a-cops; they are sworn federal officers. And speaking of lies, you apparently didn't take note of the suspect providing his real name after being arrested. He's already in effect admitted to lying about his name, what makes you think he was telling the truth about his “heart condition”?

Excellent point. Some folks wonder why cops pull people over for burned out license plate lights. The answer is, that’s how they find wanted criminals. This guy giving the ranger a false name was a big red flag and a loud alarm bell, indicating that further investigation was necessary. She would have been wrong to let him go. Imagine the headlines: “Park ranger failed to identify notorious rapist before he killed Oakland cheerleader.”

It sounds like Mr. Hesterberg wasn’t the innocent angel he was made out to be:

“The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. when the man was walking two dogs near the southern edge of McNee Ranch State Park. A ranger working for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area stopped the man for having one of his dogs off-leash, which is restricted in certain areas of the Rancho Corral property.

An escalating argument ensued, according to John Barlett, a nearby resident who was walking in the area. The dog-walker was “defiant,” Barlett said, daring the ranger as he began walking away, “Are you going to arrest me?”

Yes, That is one example and a good one. The shooting incident with Congresswoman Giffords is another example.

You might laugh at me but there are times when I think that Ayn Rand was very prophetic in Atlas Shrugs. The goal was to have every man, woman and child in an assigned place with no hope of leaving it. In other words a universal medieval Serfdom for the masses and a very few nobles to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

44
posted on 01/31/2012 11:29:22 AM PST
by The Working Man
(The mantra for BO's reign...."No Child Left a Dime")

“The comments here are a very good example of the divide between Americans and Authoritarians. Authoritarians of course believe that citizens should submit to the authority of government where as Americans think it is government that should submit to the authority of We The People. I’m not saying citizens should have the right to run wild as of course we have laws for a reason however an American would recognize that there are two types of laws, ones that protect us and others that enslave us. The litmus test for identifying which category a law falls into is simple. That test is if a victim be identified.

Let’s take the law that requires supposed free citizens to give identification when approached by a government representative. When I was a kid we used the scene of a Nazi Gestapo agent approaching a person and asking for papers to scare people into thinking how close we came to living in a world with that type of government abuse. Let’s set aside the obvious fact that our Constitution forbids government from infringing on our right to remain silent or our right not to incriminate ourselves and just focus on the fact that there is no victim. Who did this guy hurt? Some people say he could have been a criminal however anyone walking down the street could be a criminal thus is this justification for government agents to tase us at will?

Think about it and also ask yourself if you like the direction our country is heading. Are you willing to give up the Constitutional protections that so many have fought and died for because you’re afraid of some perceived terrorist threat? Do you think those who fought and died we afraid when they were being shot at and bombed? Of course they were but they died giving us all the gift of freedom. Don’t spit on their effort by condoning such governmental abuse.”

The subect was either under arrest or he was not. If he was under arrest, the officer erred in not telling him so; if he was not under arrest, the officer’s “command” was not lawful. She can’t have it both ways.

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